New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac is overpaid
Travis Zajac is the New Jersey Devils highest paid player, yet he hasn’t had a 50-point season since 2009-10. At 31 years old, he hasn’t been playing up to expectations.
Zajac is an enigma. The Devils 1st-round rick in 2004 made his NHL debut at the beginning of the 2006 season and steadily grew into a productive, two-way center who could play on both the power play and penalty kill. He had his best year in 2009-10 when he tallied 25 goals and 42 assists for 67 points. That season remains as arguably Zajac’s last good year as a pro, as he hasn’t cracked the 50 point plateau since. He still earned an 8-year, $46 million contract in January of 2013. With 5 years left on his deal through 2021, he is New Jersey’s highest cap hit at $5.75 million per year. Has Zajac lived up to the money the Devils are paying him? The answer is no.
Since Zajac signed that contract, it’s been obvious that his production doesn’t match his compensation. Whether Devils fans want to admit it or not, he’s already declining at an age where he could still be in his prime. 2014-15 was his worst season as a pro, when he recorded just 25 points in 75 games. He then had a 27 game goal drought this past season and finished with only 42 total points. That’s simply unacceptable, and he has been frustrating to watch at times. Once an iron-man who played 401 games straight early in his career, breaking Ken Daneyko’s franchise record, Zajac hasn’t been the productive player he once was. He has regressed. He’s paid to be a 1st-line center, yet he’s been playing like a 3rd-line center.
So, what’s causing this slump? Is it the players being put around Zajac? The years that he was really effective was when he played with superstars like Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuck. The Devils haven’t exactly had much offensive talent to pair with Zajac since those two left, but I don’t completely buy that excuse. Anybody would be better off playing with Parise or Kovalchuk. He was riding their coattails, and we are now left with the “real” Travis Zajac. Good players make the players around them better, and I’m not so sure Zajac has shown that ability lately.
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Let’s get this straight, I’m not trying to bury Travis here. Ultimately, this is probably more of an issue of Zajac being signed to an ill-advised contract instead of under-performing. He is a solid all-around player, even though his statistics have suggested other-wise. He’s good defensively, reliable on faceoffs, and can still play on both the powerplay and penalty kill. He just can’t finish, and hasn’t put up the numbers to justify being the highest player on the team.
At 31, he’s certainly not old. The 2016-17 season will say a lot about who Zajac is and can still be as a player. He’s going to have better talent around him. The Devils will have a chance to get in the postseason. No more excuses. If he can’t put up 50 points for a 7th straight season, changes should be made. Pavel Zacha will be given a chance, and if he has a good rookie campaign, he may even eclipse him as the # 2 center on the team.
On top of that, if Zajac has another down year, don’t expect the Devils to protect him for the 2017-18 expansion draft. I can’t imagine Ray Shero was thrilled to inherit Zajac’s contract, which was signed while while Lou Lamoriello was still GM. Last September, there were rumors that Zajac could be on the move to reunite him with Lamoriello in a trade with Toronto. The deal never happened, and it there’s any GM who would want Zajac, it would be Lou. With his expensive contract and lackluster numbers, his trade value around the league is pretty low at the moment.
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While I haven’t given up on Travis Zajac just yet, patience is wearing very thin. We don’t need a Dainus Zubrus 2.0 situation. The Devils need more bang for their buck out of Zajac, but haven’t been getting it. What has he done for us lately? Not enough.